Texas, China lead in renewable energy

Texas and China share a lot of similarities when it comes to energy production and polluting emissions.

On the bad side, Texas produces more toxic emissions than any other state in the country. That's largely due to the businesses around Houston that refine oil into fuel and petrochemicals for the rest of nation to use. Funny that America never thanks us for that.

China is the world's leading polluter, creating toxic clouds in major cities that make them some of the worst places on the planet to live. Some Communist leaders say that's the price for pulling a billion people out of poverty.

Economic growth is the excuse that both governments use to rationalize why they don't crack down on polluters. But realizing that no one wants to see their child develop asthma and other respiratory problems, leaders in both places have reluctantly agreed to some tighter controls on emissions.

The good news, and the more interesting, is that both places are global leaders in renewable energy production.

China has surpassed the European Union as the world's top investor in wind and solar power. Last year, China spent $101 billion on clean energy, and a Chinese company is the global leader in wind turbine production.

"In 2015, cumulative sales of electric vehicles in China reached 450,000, 50 percent higher than in the EU. For the first time in 2014, China spent more on research and development of renewables than Europe," Quartz website reported.

Texas is still leading in U.S. wind power and soon will add a huge amount of solar, according to reporting by CleanTechnica. More than two-thirds of new electricity generation will be from renewable sources this year.

Austin's city-owned utility will add 600 Megawatts of photo-voltaic power next year, while San Antonio's city-owned utility will add 400 Megawatts. That's enough to power 700,000 homes.

Two places with conservative governments who are not particularly worried about climate change or environmental regulation are global leaders in renewable energy. The data should put to rest the antiquated notion that somehow renewable energy is just a fad for liberal hippies.

Chris Tomlinson has written commentary on business, energy and economics for the Houston Chronicle since 2014. Before joining the Chronicle, he spent 20 years with The Associated Press reporting on politics, conflicts and economics from more than 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He’s also the author of the New York Times bestseller Tomlinson Hill, and he produced the award-winning documentary film by the same name. Both examine the history and consequences of race, politics and economics in Texas.